Dino-Era Bird Fossil Found; One of Oldest Known

[Mark Pankowski <markpankowski@yahoo.com>]

Dino-Era Bird Fossil Found; One of Oldest Known 

National Geographic News
 
May 6, 2008  
  
A fossil of a new species of dinosaur-era bird found
in China is one of the oldest ever discovered, experts
say in a new study.

The new bird, called Eoconfuciusornis zhengi, or "the
dawn of the Confucius bird," is predated only by the
150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx, which lived during
the Jurassic period.

Chinese and British paleontologists discovered the
well-preserved fossil along a forested lakeside in the
country's northern Hebei Province during a 2005-2006
expedition.

"Eoconfuciusornis provides a new piece in the puzzle
of the evolution from Archaeopteryx to more advanced
birds," said study co-author Zhou Zhong-He, executive
director of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology
and Paleoanthropology in Beijing.

Rest of article (with nice photo) at...
 
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080506-dinosaur-bird.html
  


Mark